Tuğçe TÜRTEN KAYMAZ, Ezgi MUTLUAY YAYLA, Hanife Efsane DEMİRÖZ
Hacettepe Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Fakültesi Dergisi - 2025;12(3):257-267
Aim : To determine the relationship between diabetes burden and frailty in older diabetic patients. Material and Methods: This descriptive and correlational study examined 208 diabetic patients aged 65 years and older who were admitted to internal medicine or surgical outpatient clinics, or hospitalized in a state or university hospital between December 2018 and May 2019. Data were collected using the "Patient Information Form," the " Elderly Diabetes Burden Scale" and the "Edmonton Frail Scale." The data were analyzed using percentages, means, the Mann -Whitney U test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the Spearman correlation test. Results: The mean age of the participants was 70 +/- 4.59 years (minimum: 65, maximum: 86). The mean Edmonton Frail Scale score was 6.46 +/- 3.99, and 48.1% of patients were frail to varying degrees. The mean total score on the Elderly Diabetes Burden Scale was 51.97 +/- 13.7. There were significant differences in the type of diabetes treatment, the development of complications , presence of additional chronic diseases, and diabetes burden (p < 0.05). A significant difference was found between age, education level, marital status, number of cohabitants, duration of diabetes, development of diabetes complications, the presence of additional chronic diseases, and frailty (p < 0.05). The study found a significant moderate positive correlation between frailty and the diabetes burden . Conclusion s: The study concluded that approximately half of individuals with diabetes were frail and experienced a moderate level of diabetes burden, which increased with greater frailty. Implication for nursing practice: Nurses should regularly assess both the frailty levels and the diabetes burden of older people with diabetes , and support their self -management skills to alleviate these challenges.
